Plant centre will allow new research

Researchers have welcomed the establishment of a new Plant Culture Facility (PCF) at ANU's Research School of Biological Sciences (RSBS).

The new facility will allow researchers to grow genetically modified plants under the control of an artificial environment.

"This greatly improves the facilities for growing our research plants," said Prof John Andrews of the RSBS's Molecular Plant Physiology group.

Andrews said a variety of plants including tobacco, rice and maize would be grown in the facility.

"It will help in the completion of research and will enable a range of new research activities," he said.

Andrews explained that the PCF was designed to meet the PC2 containment standards, which is the least stringent category for plant containment.

Dr Brendan Nelson, Federal Minister for Education, Science and Training, said all research conducted at the PCF would have to meet Gene Technology Regulator and quarantine standards.

The design of the facility was intended to ensure that genetically modified plant materials could not escape, Nelson said: "The Plant Culture Facility's excellent standards provide the benchmark against which any other plant growth facility will be judged."

Nelson explained that the new facility put the Research School of Biological Sciences in a good position for attracting more funding.

"Much of the funding announced in [2000 Federal government policy paper] Backing Australia's Ability will be used to ensure that research infrastructure in Australia's universities is world-class," he said.

The new facility was built using funds provided by ANU.